Citizen's Police Academy is gearing up

Justin Pottle

Updated 10:39 pm, Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Forget about that 1980s comedy movie series -- Greenwich has a police academy of its own, and it's no joke.

The Greenwich Police Department this fall is again launching its annual Citizen's Police Academy, the 10th installment of the popular series of classes giving town residents a behind-the-scenes look at the local force; it is accepting applications for the 40 available seats.

Participants can expect instruction from Greenwich police officers on everything from their numerous day-to-day duties to tackling narcotics and domestic violence to serious looks into criminal investigations.

The academy originated a decade ago under the guidance of then-Chief James Walters, seeking to bridge the gap between residents and police. But even now, as the seats become more and more coveted and applications increase, that barrier still exists, according to Police Lt. Kraig Gray.

"The goal of the CPA is to demystify the police department from the public," he said. "Their first and only real contact with the police is only after they have an issue or problem."

The classes provide a unique chance for officers to interact with the residents they protect and serve, police officials said.

It's often as much of a learning experience for the officers in front of the class as the residents sitting at the desks behind them, said Community Impact Officer Keith Hirsch.

"The people who live in Greenwich communities often know their communities better than the officers patrolling them," he said.

While graduates of the program will gain a look inside of the operations of the police department, they're not trained recruits -- developing a new class of officers isn't the point, Hirsch said. Rather, the program allows for a different sort of relationship no less valuable for Greenwich officers.

"[Participants] get to see the inner workings of the police department and how it functions," he said. "And we get advocates in the community for the department."

Frank Trotta, a member of the inaugural police academy class of 2003, is one of those community advocates. Trotta has since completed the course a second time (in 2011) and is an active member in the department's Community and Police Partnership program, which operates forums for community dialogue between officers and residents.

"I went into the first class not knowing a single officer in Greenwich and my only experience with them being when I was stopped for traffic violations and things like that," Trotta said. "But learning about their training and getting hands-on experience in everything from fingerprinting to lie detector tests, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for them."

Classes meet twice a week for six weeks, with time split between classroom sessions and experience in the field, including opportunities to ride along with patrol officers and with the department's Marine Division.

Applications are being collected by the department's Community Impact Section until Sept. 27. Classes begin Oct. 1.